Canadian envoy parries comment on Noor Chowdhury extradition

Dhaka, June 27 – Canadian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Benoit Prefontaine yesterday said he cannot make any comment regarding Noor Chowdhury, a self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, when the matter is in court but historically Canada is averse to extraditing someone to a country where they face death penalty.
“This is something that has gone back to the courts. The Bangladesh government is trying to get a clarification what can be done on extradition. It would not be appropriate for me to comment whether it is right or not. But historically Canada is very very averse to extraditing someone to a country where they face death penalty. This is the fundamental issue for the Canadians. The person could be killed. We ourselves don’t allow it,” he added.
He came up with the statement in reply to a query at DCAB (Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh) talk at BIISS auditorium in the capital.
Asked about how Canada still sees the security issue after the Holey Artisan attack, he said, “Yes, we had imposed many restrictions in the movement of the Canadian citizens here. We have more security in Dhaka where the attack took place. We are relaxing many restrictions. The situation is almost back to normal.”
He said, “Holey Artisan attack sadly changed Bangladesh in the eye of the world. We know Bangladesh is part of the global fight against terrorism and intolerance. This fight is one that Canada will carry forward.”
The high commissioner said the investors of Canada are interested to invest in Bangladesh but the investors have questions over infrastructures, utility services and legal protection here.
He further said the Canadian investors also question over whether they would get skilled manpower here to work for their companies.
“According to world rankings, Bangladesh is not an easy country in which to do business, but there are significant opportunities and we are telling Canadians that they should not overlook the Bangladesh market,” he added.
Regarding the commercial relationship between the two countries, he said, “The value of bilateral merchandise trade has more than tripled from $600 million in 2014 to over $2.36 billion Canadian dollars in 2016.”
“Bangladesh continues to benefit from Canada’s Least Developed Countries Tariff and has enjoyed duty-free market access to Canada for most goods since 2003.
“One of the key pillars of the relationship is the ready-made garment sector. The export of over $1.58 billion dollars of garments from Bangladesh in 2918 supports businesses and create employment in Bangladesh,” he said.
He also said Canadian government has created a senior trade commissioner position in Bangladesh nine months ago only to promote exchanges in the areas of trade, investment, education and science and technology.
He further said Canada is a major supplier of aerospace products and technology to Bangladesh including various types of aircraft used by airlines, the government and armed forces as well as private owners.
About pursuing higher education in Canada, he said, “The number of Bangladeshi students going to Canada has increased dramatically in the last five years. Between 2017 and 2018, there was an increase of more than 50 per cent in the number of Bangladeshi study permit holders. More than 6,500 Bangladeshis were studying in Canada in 2018.”
He further said the students who are studying in Canada can be a great source for promoting Bangladesh before the Canadian society and can also contribute to Bangladesh economy when they return.
The high commissioner also said they launched ‘feminist international assistance policy’ two years ago which affect all their policies and programming including diplomacy, trade, security, development and consular services.
Regarding Rohingya crisis, Benoit Prefontaine said the solution to the crisis lies in Myanmar. “What Bangladesh doing for Rohingya is unusual and admirable. We have obligation to help Bangladesh. The Rohingya crisis is a tough cookie to crack.”
He also said that Canada is continuing its efforts in domestic, regional and international forum like OIC, ASEAN to address the issue and Canada should be held responsible for committing ‘genocide.’
About media freedom, he said journalists must have the ability to report facts freely without fear of punishment. A free and vibrant media encourages creativity, inspires compassion, teaches and helps build the citizens of tomorrow. – Staff Reporter